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A MANUAL OF VETERINARY PHYSIOLOGY 



year, and that this period multiplied by four would be somewhere 

 about the natural duration of his life. He stated he had seen horses 

 at thirty-two years of age capable of ' a great deal of service.' 



Death.— Death from natural causes in the horse is a matter 

 of rare occurrence. It is seldom that an animal is taken such 

 care of that the tissues are worn out by age and decay, or that 

 he is allowed to live until the breath of life passes gradually from 

 the body. Sentiment plays no part in horse management. 

 A useless mouth is one to be got rid of. In consequence, the 

 majority of horses meet either with a violent death or one the 

 result of disease. Under good hygienic conditions the general 



Fig. 258. — Convulsive Limb Movements at the Moment of Brain 

 Destruction. 



Note the tail is affected as well as the limbs. The bandages were put on 

 to assist the plate. 



death-rate may be taken at 1-5 per cent. To this, however, must 

 be added a fluctuating loss due to destructions for injury, which 

 may be stated at about 1 per cent., depending on the occupation. 



Natural death is described as commencing either at the heart, 

 lungs, brain, or blood. Probably the few cases of natural death 

 which occur may be attributed to failure of the heart's 

 action ; but from what is known of the physiology of the heart, 

 respiration, and blood, it is very difficult to separate these in 

 discussing the causes of death, knowing how largely one is 

 dependent on the other. The cessation of the heart's action 

 may be looked upon as the termination of life. 



We cannot enter upon the cause of death the result of disease, 

 excepting to notice the interesting fact that horses seldom die 



